JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

Teen Republican Terry drops council bid, supports Fulop campaign

Seton Hall University freshman Demetrius Terry, former chairman of the Hudson County Teenage Republicans, has dropped his fledgling bid to unseat incumbent ward A City Councilman Michael Sottolano to focus on school – and to hit the campaign trail for 2013 mayoral candidate Steven Fulop.
Last year, Terry, 18, was actively trying to build a strong Republican Party presence in Hudson County and his native community of Greenville. According to an e-mail sent last week, he has now decided to spend more time hitting the books.
He plans to be a political science major.
In addition to his studies, Terry said he will also volunteer his time for Fulop’s mayoral campaign. Despite the party difference, Terry lists Fulop among the current political leaders he most admires.

School board debate

On Friday, April 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. the eight school board candidates will debate each other at a public forum co-hosted by the Hudson Reporter, the Jersey City Independent, and NJ Action 21. The non-partisan debate will take place at St. Paul’s Church, 440 Hoboken Ave. (near Five Corners).
Parents, students, and other members of the public will be given one final opportunity to hear from the people running for school board days before the Tuesday, April 17 election.

Historic JC cemetery in dire need of quick $1K cash infusion

The volunteer-run Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery has fallen on tough times and is asking the community to help it raise $1,000 ASAP. As an indication of how difficult times are at the cemetery, PSE&G has already cut power to the facility, including the gatekeeper’s house.
For more than three years the cemetery has relied on the work of volunteers to keep its door open. The historic cemetery receives no regular revenue or funding from the city or state. Income from funerals has dried up, and the facility receives almost no annual maintenance fees from the families of those buried since there are no records of next of kin for most plots.
Volunteers have some fundraising events planned for next month and there is grant money expected. Still, the facility is in big trouble today. Volunteers need $1,000 to get the lights back on and to tide the cemetery over for the next several weeks.
Thus, the cemetery is taking online donations at www.jerseycitycemetery.org.

Christ Hospital, NJ Sharing Network celebrate National Donate Life Month

On Friday, April 20 Christ Hospital and the NJ Sharing Network will celebrate National Donate Life Month.
National Donate Life Month, celebrated each April, was instituted by Donate Life America and its members in 2003 to encourage more people to become organ donors. According to Donate Life, there are more than 100,000 people in the U.S. awaiting a life-saving transplant, including more than 4,000 people in the state of New Jersey alone. Currently, a little over 23 percent of the licensed drivers in Hudson County have registered to be organ and tissue donors. This year’s national goal is to register 20 million people as organ and tissue donors.
Christ Hospital and the NJ Sharing Network ask that members of community show support for Donate Life Month by wearing blue and green on April 20. In addition, visitors and friends of Christ Hospital are invited to stop by the information booth, located in the hospital lobby, from 10 am. to 3 p.m. that day to receive free gifts and information about how to become an organ and tissue donor.
For more information about the NJ Sharing Network and how you can become a donor, please visit www.njsharingnetwork.org.

Conwell Primary School currently seeking applications

The dual-language program at Jersey City’s Conwell Primary School is expanding and looking for applicants for its program. The school is currently accepting applications for fall 2012. Students must be age three by October 1.
Located in the historic Paulus Hook neighborhood, Conwell is preparing to receive a new group of 45, three-year-old students from across Jersey City for its dual-language program. The sought-after program attracts families who want their children to enjoy the many benefits of a dual-language education. Besides being proficient to read, write, and speak in two languages, dual-learners score higher than their monolingual counterparts on standardized tests and typically track into advanced or honors programs in later years.
Students in the Conwell program start their education early and excel in a rigorous, yet rewarding curriculum achieving proficiency in both Spanish and English within four years. In pre-kindergarten through third grade, the students experience full immersion in both languages each day, using a “learning through play” teaching methodology. As the students advance through the fifth grade, they study language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies taught in Spanish or English.
As the dual-language program seeks a balance of 50 percent English-dominant speakers and 50 percent Spanish-dominant speakers to achieve optimal language adoption, outreach efforts to both communities are underway.
For more information, email dual@ps3pta.org. The application deadline is May 15.

Liberty Humane Society prepares for the influx of hundreds of kittens this spring

Every spring hundreds of kittens and pregnant mother cats are taken in by the Liberty Humane Society during “kitten season,” which is the time of year when cats typically reproduce. As an open-admission shelter, the facility accepts each and every kitten that arrives on the doorstep. In past years, Liberty has taken in as many as 1,000 kittens during this season, which runs from March through late-summer. At times, ten or more kittens can come through the doors in just one day! The unseasonably warm temperatures last winter created a longer mating season, which will only increase the flood of kittens in the coming months.
Throughout the next several months, the Liberty Humane Society must drastically increase food and medical supplies to care for the hordes of cuddly, purring kittens expected to come through its doors. Many of these kittens will require specialized urgent care either because they have been orphaned requiring bottle feeding or because they arrive already ill.
Support in all forms from the surrounding community is essential during this time of year.
To learn how you can support the shelter, call (201) 547-4147.

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